(WFRV) – The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is continuing to recommend that Wisconsinites get vaccinated against COVID-19, one day after Governor Tony Evers signed an Executive Order to ensure access to vaccines for all residents.
According to the DHS’s release, officials have reviewed scientific evidence surrounding the vaccine and issued a medical order for the state, allowing the majority of residents who wish to receive the vaccine to do so without a prescription.
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The DHS says it continues to recommend that anybody six months or older get vaccinated against COVID-19 during the upcoming season, stating that the decision ‘echoes the science-based recommendations’ of the following organizations:
- American Academy of Pediatrics
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
- American Academy of Family Physicians
DHS Secretary Kirsten Johnson said that everybody in the state should be able to ‘make the choice based on medical and scientific recommendations,’ while also criticizing actions at the federal level.
“As the federal government limits access to the vaccine, we want to reassure Wisconsinites that recommendations from our nation’s leading medical associations are clear,” Secretary Johnson said via the release. “We will work every day to support access to care and resources to help families make the best decisions on how to protect themselves from illness and disease.”
According to the release, the United States Food and Drug Administration recently approved this year’s vaccine only for those 65 and older or those under 65 with high-risk conditions, conflicting with previous recommendations.
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Other organizations recommend that everybody six months or older receive the updated vaccine, especially for the following individuals and groups:
- People 65 and older.
- Those who are at risk for severe complications from COVID-19
- Those who have never received a COVID-19 vaccine.